Alberta Job Numbers Sparking Hope

Despite the recent recession and resultant slowdown in job growth across the country, one province is still looking to hire more workers.

For several years, Alberta has been leading the country economically, spurring job growth and fuelling recovery across Canada. The latest statistics show that February was no different, with the province adding approximately 18,000 new jobs while most other regions saw losses.

In fact, a vast majority – about 87 percent – of jobs created over the past year were in Alberta. Experts are pleased with the numbers, but are concerned over the disparity among other provinces.

“I know this is not a new story but it’s becoming extreme,” said BMO economist Doug Porter. “In the last 12 months, Alberta is the only province that’s seen meaningful growth. They’ve had job gains of nearly four per cent and meanwhile six provinces have seen declines and one’s been flat.”

Ontario and Saskatchewan were the only other provinces to report gains in February. Industries which have traditionally propelled growth in Central Canada – manufacturing, construction and public service – have recently been in decline. Though governments in the Central region have been experimenting with stimulus spending, experts say that more needs to be done to balance economies across the country.

Continued global demand for exports has driven Western resource-based economies to the forefront and this trend appears to hold strong for the foreseeable future.